10 ways to be more productive this year

We all struggle with being productive sometimes, whether its our procrastination, our sleepless nights, or our lack of organization.

But to get the most out of each day and to get our goals achieved and to cross each task off of our to-do list maybe hard but its rewarding. So here are 10 tips to help you become a more productive person.

1.Use your downtime wisely:
If you are a big TV watcher, use some of that time to do other small tasks while you watch. For example, lift weights or do sit-ups, or get yourself organized.

2. Get a good night’s sleep:
If you want to ensure productivity, getting a solid sleep is important so that you have energy for the day ahead. That means going to bed a reasonable hour and waking up semi-early.

3. Make a to-do list:
This will help you prioritize and accomplish everything you are trying to get done. If you don’t write it down, you may forget to do it, or get distracted and do other things before what really needs to get done. It is also really satisfying to be able to cross something off your list. And it’s a proven fact that you are more likely to accomplish goals if you write them down.

4. Get the hard things done first:
If you accomplish the hard things first, they won’t be hanging over your head for the rest of the day and you won’t have to procrastinate to do them, leaving yourself with more time for relaxing. For example, work out first thing in the morning because by the end of the day you might be too drained to have a productive work out.

5. Stay organized:
This will keep you from being flustered. If you are in a rush and can’t find your car keys, you’ll be late to something and it might set a precedent for a bad day. If you have a designated place for everything, like your school books and your student ID, you’ll easily be able to find them and be on time. And stress-free. It also creates a more pleasant environment to be in and a place you want to hang out if your room is clean.

6. Get things done ahead of time:
If you have a long term project, or several at once, don’t put it off until the last minute. I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times before, but you’ll feel so relieve and you will really get to enjoy a night out if you get it done before its due.

7. Reward yourself:
Speaking of a night out, if you get everything done on your to-do list, or hand in a long term project, or have a really productive day, you should reward yourself for it. Whether it’s a movie night, ordering in, dinner with friends or a big night out, you deserve a break from all your productivity.

8. Create a routine:
Giving yourself some sort of routine or daily pattern will help you get more things done because you will be great with managing your time–knowing when you have free time, getting everything done in two hours at the library, etc will help you budget your time and energy to be more productive each day.

9. Don’t over plan your day:
If you try to do too many things in one day, you begin doing a (excuse the language) half-ass job on them. Don’t leave a million things for one day, see if you can get things done ahead of time or the day after so that one day isn’t so horrible you did everything on your list but didn’t actually get anything out of it (settling for a C on a project because you didn’t have enough time to finish it).

10. Manage your energy, not your time:
This is key– speaking from experience, I would always plan my days by time intervals. I’ll study for this test from 2-4 and then work on this project from 4-6. But that never works. I would always become really unproductive after a while, or take a really long break, or even postpone it until the next day. Think about a goal, set it, and set aside time for breaks.

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